In an effort to boost the level of data security on portable computers, cell phones and other gadgets, IBM Corp. is unveiling a method for injecting encryption capabilities into the heart of the machines' circuitry.

There are multiple ways to achieve encryption, the mathematical art of encoding data to protect it from spying eyes. Specialized software can do the trick, as can hard-wired chips inside computers.

But IBM researchers contend that unless the encryption function is performed by a computer's central processing unit, a supremely savvy hacker can tap into the pathway between the machine's brain and the separate encryption engine.

To guard against that, IBM is announcing Monday that it has developed "SecureBlue" -- a set of encryption circuitry that can be integrated into any processor, regardless of its manufacturer.